San Diego State has more wide receiver depth this season than it has had in perhaps two decades.
That much was evident in Saturday evening’s scrimmage at Snapdragon Stadium, where starting quarterback Jayden Denegal and backup quarterback Stone Saunders connected with guys like Nathan Acevedo, Bert Emanuel Jr., Parker Threatt and Carson Diehl, among others.
Acevedo, who had a breakout game in the New Mexico Bowl against North Texas, had six receptions for 21 yards in the first half.
Emanuel, a senior who moved from quarterback to wide receiver this spring, had four catches for 49 yards. It included two balls from Denegal (11-for-13, 83 yards) in which the 6-foot-3 Emanuel leaped high to make the receptions.
San Diego State wide receiver Bert Emanuel Jr. participates in drills during scrimmage at Snapdragon Stadium on Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Meg McLaughlin / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Diehl, a true freshman from La Jolla High School, had perhaps the most impressive debut, with four catches for 25 yards. Graduating early and enrolling in the spring paid immediate dividends.
Threatt, a sophomore walk-on and another former quarterback, had the biggest play of the opening half, hauling in a 40-yard pass from Saunders (9-for-18, 96 yards) on the first play for the second unit.
None of these performances would have been possible had the SDSU wide receiver corps been at full strength because others would have been on the field.
Starting wide receivers Jordan Napier and Jacob Bostick, both returning from knee injuries (and surgeries) that cut short their seasons last year, were held out over an abundance of caution. They will see the field when the catches count.
Senior transfer wide receiver Justius Lowe (Oregon) and sophomore Will Cianfrini (Carlsbad High School) also sat out the scrimmage with undisclosed injuries. Both players missed practice this week. Lowe has been wearing a brace on his left knee.
San Diego State running back Josiah Lucas had the longest scoring play of the scrimmage with a 26-yard touchdown run. (Meg McLaughlin / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
In a rush
Starting running back Lucky Sutton encouraged his teammates from the sideline. After rushing 254 times last season, there was nothing to be gained by having Sutton carry the ball in the scrimmage. Instead, the senior from Cathedral Catholic High School watched backups Javion Kinnard (16 carries, 55 yards) and Christian Washington (6-13) get the early carries. He also saw Jordin Thomas (4-6) rush for a 3-yard touchdown in the third quarter and Josiah Lucas (7-23) get loose on a 25-yard touchdown run.
Fans watch San Diego State scrimmage at Snapdragon Stadium on Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Meg McLaughlin / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Defensive standouts
The first series ended when linebacker Cameron Cooper separated Acevedo from the ball and defensive lineman Gavriel Lightfoot recovered. Sophomore transfer safety Isaiah Green stepped in front of a Saunders pass in the second quarter and returned the interception for a 26-yard touchdown.
The kickers
One of the most contested positions during camp is kicker, where the Aztecs are replacing Gabe Plascencia, the most accurate kicker in school history.
Senior transfer Cooper DiLeva, who was leading the kicking competition in camp, was wide right on a 34-yard field goal attempt on the third drive of the scrimmage. He later made a 35-yarder. Following DiLeva were Lane Garner (39 yard make, 41-yard miss), Noah Serna (39 yards) and Tyler Prasuhn (40 yards).
San Diego State coach Sean Lewis watches his players scrimmage at Snapdragon Stadium on Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Meg McLaughlin / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Coachspeak
SDSU coach Sean Lewis touched on a variety of topics after the scrimmage:
On Denegal’s performance: “I really liked the way Jayden operated. Operationally, he was really clean. I thought he was making good decisions. … There’s this constant repetition right now that he’s having. There’s a command that he has. There’s a confidence that he has in the throws that he knows he can make.”
On the wide receiver depth: “We’ve kind of got a spoil of riches there in that room. … We’ve got some guys that we’re managing their workload and where they’re at with what they’ve done. Getting to where we want to be at the start of the season, Week 1, we want to play a certain style of ball and that requires us to have enough depth of talent in that room to do it. We were very intentional when the season ended, with the injuries that had occurred, making sure we had enough talent in the room so we didn’t have to completely alter the style of play that we think is best.”
On defensive: “I thought (linebacker) Jeramiah Lewis was all over the place. He flashed quite a bit. I thought the D-linemen did a good job. (Edge) Kai Wallin has flashed and has made some plays in the passing game. We asked him to stop the run and I thought he showed up better on first and second down, which was good. All along (defensive linemen) Malachi Finau and Gav Lightfoot have been really disruptive and anytime you can create some dent inside that makes life really, really hard. (Cornerback) Mike Lindsay has been really, really consistent. Those guys kind of jump to mind right now.”
On the kicking game: “We created some opportunities there as we went. We didn’t make them all, we didn’t miss them all. We continue to assess it as we go.”
San Diego State players run onto the field during scrimmage at Snapdragon Stadium on Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Meg McLaughlin / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Injury scare
SDSU left guard Kalan Ellis limped off the field on the second play of the second quarter. There was some measure of concern since Ellis, one of two returning starters on the O-line with left tackle Joe Borjon, missed the spring coming off shoulder surgery. A collective exhale came when Ellis had his left ankle rewrapped on the bench and returned to the sideline.
Looking ahead
The Aztecs return to the practice field Monday to begin their third week of camp. The Sept. 5 season opener against Portland State is three weeks away.